When History Changes Overnight

Assassination attempts can feel like single moments, but they often reveal deeper tensions in politics, war, and social change. In several famous cases, a leader or public figure survived by luck, quick action, or a plan that didn’t work as intended. For others, the attempt was successful and changed the world forever. Here are just a few examples of how our history changed in a matter of moments. 

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1. Andrew Jackson

In 1835, a man named Richard Lawrence tried to shoot President Andrew Jackson outside the U.S. Capitol, but both pistols misfired. Jackson didn’t flee, and witnesses reported that he confronted the attacker with his cane. The incident was the first known assassination attempt against a sitting U.S president. 

Ralph Eleaser Whiteside Earl on Wikimedia

2. Queen Victoria

In 1840, Edward Oxford fired twice at Queen Victoria as she rode in an open carriage with Prince Albert, and no one was hurt. The shots either missed or may not have had bullets, but the intent was treated as a serious attack. Oxford was detained in an asylum after the attempt failed. 

John Jabez Edwin Mayall on Wikimedia

3. Theodore Roosevelt

While campaigning in Milwaukee in 1912, Theodore Roosevelt was shot in the chest by a man named John Schrank. The bullet was slowed by items in his pocket, including a folded speech, and he still insisted on delivering remarks afterward. Roosevelt also made several attempts to ensure Schrank remained unharmed. 

Adam Cuerden on Wikimedia

4. Adolf Hitler

On July 20, 1944, conspirators attempted to kill Adolf Hitler with a bomb at the Wolf’s Lair, but he lived with relatively minor injuries. The failed attack also collapsed a planned coup, leading to mass arrests and executions. This wasn’t the only attempt on the dictator’s life either, with an earlier one occurring in 1939. 

Heinrich Hoffmann on Wikimedia

5. Vladimir Lenin

In 1918, Fanny Kaplan shot Vladimir Lenin after an event in Moscow, and he survived despite serious wounds. Doctors couldn’t remove all the bullets at the time, and his long-term health declined afterward. This attempt occurred after two previous attempts in January and March of the same year. 

Unknown, presumably official on Wikimedia

6. Charles de Gaulle

French President Charles de Gaulle escaped an ambush in 1962 when gunmen riddled his car with bullets in Petit-Clamart. Despite the damage, he and those with him avoided serious injury, and the attack failed.

The National Archives UK on Wikimedia

7. Gerald Ford

In 1975, Sara Jane Moore pointed a pistol at President Gerald Ford after he addressed the World Affairs Council, but the gun didn’t fire because a round wasn’t chambered. Secret Service agents restrained her immediately, and Ford was rushed away unharmed. This was the second assassination attempt against Ford’s life, the first being only 17 days earlier. 

David Hume Kennerly on Wikimedia

8. Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reagan was shot outside a Washington, D.C., hotel in 1981 and survived after emergency medical care. The gunman, John Hinckley Jr., attempted to end the president's life in an effort to impress actress Jodie Foster, whom he had become obsessed with a few years prior. 

Michael Evans on Wikimedia

9. Pope John Paul II

In 1981, Pope John Paul II was shot in St. Peter’s Square and survived after being rushed to treatment. The attacker, Mehmet Ali Ağca, was arrested at the scene and was sentenced to life in prison by the Italian government. 

Unknown authorUnknown author on Wikimedia

10. Margaret Thatcher

In 1984, a bomb at the Grand Hotel in Brighton targeted Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her government. While Thatcher wasn’t injured, five other people died, including MP Sir Anthony Berry. The bombing was a pivotal event in the civil conflict in Northern Ireland.

derivative work by Begoon on Wikimedia

1. Gaius Julius Caesar

In 44 BCE, Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of Roman senators during a meeting in the Senate House on the Ides of March. Over 60 individuals, led by Marcus Brutus, stabbed the dictator 23 times.

Vincenzo Camuccini on Wikimedia

2. Abraham Lincoln

On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C., by John Wilkes Booth, just weeks after beginning his second term. Booth was a known Confederate sympathizer who was angered after the South’s defeat during the Civil War. 

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3. Franz Ferdinand

Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este and his wife, Sophie, were murdered in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914, by Gavrilo Princip. This assassination is widely known as the catalyst for the start of World War I. 

Atelier Adèle on Wikimedia

4. Mahatma Gandhi

After a prayer vigil in New Delhi on January 30, 1948, Mohandas K. Gandhi was fatally shot by nationalist Nathuram Godse. Godse and his co-conspirator, Narayan Apte, were sentenced to death almost a year later.

Elliott & Fry on Wikimedia

5. John F. Kennedy

President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, as he was riding in a presidential motorcade. The assassin, Lee Harvey Oswold, died a few days later after being shot by Jack Ruby, the owner of a nearby nightclub. While we never got Oswald’s reason for assassinating the president, speculation believes it was due to his political affiliation with Marxist groups.

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6. Martin Luther King Jr.

On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel. The alleged assassin was James Earl Ray, who pleaded guilty to 99 years in prison. However, there has been plenty of speculation about the attempt, with some groups believing the assassination was puppeted by the United States government or the mafia. 

Dick DeMarsico on Wikimedia

7. Robert F. Kennedy

In the early hours of June 5, 1968, Senator Robert F. Kennedy was fatally shot by Sirhan Sirhan in Los Angeles. Sirhan was originally given the death sentence for this crime, but it was commuted to life in prison four years later. This assassination was only weeks after Marin Luther King Jr’s.

Unknown; dedicated to the Bettman Archive. Likely an organization working with the Senate, e.g. Congressional Quarterly, or the Senate itself. on Wikimedia

8. Indira Gandhi

India’s Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated on October 31, 1984, after serving multiple terms as the nation’s leader. Her assailants were Satwant Singh, Beant Singh, and her own bodyguards. 

Ritva Bäckman on Wikimedia

9. Yitzhak Rabin

Following a mass peace rally in Tel Aviv on November 4, 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated by Yigal Amir. Amir was considered a far-right nationalist who disagreed with the Prime Minister’s efforts to support the Oslo Accords.

Yaakov Saar on Wikimedia

10. Shinzo Abe

On July 8, 2022, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated while giving a campaign speech in Nara. The assassination occurred in Nara City, where the Prime Minister was delivering a campaign speech. This assassination shocked Japan, which hadn’t witnessed a successful attempt on a leader’s life since 1960.

Prime Minister of Japan Official on Wikimedia